There are moments when a wine, a place, and a winemaker align—and are recognised with a clarity that feels both affirming and quietly exciting.
In a recent feature for The Australian, respected critic Nick Ryan turns his attention to Juniper, offering a thoughtful reflection on the evolution of the estate under Andy Bretherton. What emerges is not only a review of wines, but a deeper appreciation of intent—of continuity, restraint, and the confidence to let both vineyard and time speak.
It is, we think, a piece well worth settling in with.
Juniper’s Winemaker Andy Bretherton Has His Eyes on the Future and the Past
Nick Ryan, Weekend Australian Magazine
March 2026
Chief winemaker Andy Bretherton has now spent two years in the top job at Juniper. His joyous and enthusiastic touch on this stalwart of WA wine is coming to the fore.
Andy Bretherton is a man whose time has clearly come. Two-and-a-half years into his tenure as chief winemaker at Margaret River’s Juniper Estate, and five months after being declared dux of what James Halliday declared “the greatest wine school in the world”, Bretherton is showing a wider audience what industry insiders have long known. The man is a serious talent.
For much of his career he’s been the winemaking wingman of dreams, a 2IC so dependable he was belt, braces and bubble wrap made flesh. When he assumed the chief winemaking role at Juniper, it was a great example of right man for the right job. Juniper has long been one of the quiet achievers of Margaret River, a winery I’ve often directed people toward when their exploration of the region is ready to move beyond the bigger names and brighter stars. When Bretherton sent me a box of wines for review, its contents said a lot about how he goes about things.
There were new releases, the wines from the 2024 and 2025 vintages, the first of the Bretherton era, that show the way forward as he sees it. But Bretherton knows a new chapter is only ever the continuation of an ongoing story. Which is why he included several pivotal 2023s – wines born under the watchful eye of his admired predecessor, Mark Messenger, and guided to completion by Bretherton when he took the reins later that year. He even went back further into Juniper’s cabernet cellar, with a beautiful 2019 Wilyabrup cabernet and a gorgeously mature 2010 ‘Estate’ Cabernet. His intentions weren’t commercial, but rather an expression of the genuine joy and enthusiasm he finds in the vineyard resources he has to work with. To me, that speaks volumes about who Andy Bretherton is and where Juniper Estate can go under his stewardship. If you’ve always loved these wines, you should be excited about what is to come. If they haven’t previously been on your radar, you need to fix that. And soon.
JUNIPER ‘CORNERSTONE’ WILYABRUP CHARDONNAY 2024
$70
All energy and tightly coiled potential, a wine of striking appeal now but with even greater
promise in a year or two. Grapefruit and white peach, lemon biscuit, faint florals, whispered
funk. The vineyard and winemaking singing tight harmonies. Pithy, finely textured, driven by
quivering acidity.
12.5% alcohol, 95 points
JUNIPER ‘CORNERSTONE’ KARRIDALE CHARDONNAY 2024
$70
The slightly cooler subregion of Karridale excelled in warmer 2024, delivering a wine of
intrigue and tension. Jasmine and chamomile aromatics, white peach, pink grapefruit,
shortbread, toasted sesame. Neatly knit funk through creamed honey and citrus-pith fruit.
Mid-palate power and drive with freshness and energy.
12.5 % alcohol, 96 points
JUNIPER ‘CANVAS’ MALBEC 2025
$30
It’s deliberately bright, fragrant and juicy, a more modern expression to complement
Juniper’s ongoing commitment to more classic malbec styles, delivering fragrant red berries,
crushed herb and fine spices in ebullient abundance.
14% alcohol, 94 points